White: Attracting jobs should be Cape's top priority

Editor's note: This is the second of three stories about Cape Girardeau mayoral candidates.

Walter White wants jobs for Cape Girardeau.

To help bring them, White is asking voters for Cape Girardeau's top job. White, a businessman who owns rental property and the Ole Country Store, is one of three candidates for mayor in the Feb. 2 primary election.

In an interview as he tended the store last week, White spoke about what he sees as the unmet needs of the city as a whole and of the people who live in the poorer neighborhoods. The city is spending too much on amenities that will be difficult for people of limited means to use, he said, and it isn't doing enough to attract jobs.

"They are getting jobs in other places, Alabama, Mississippi," White said. "They just got a Hyundai plant in Alabama. If I was mayor three years ago, I would have tried hard to bring that plant here."

The city uses tax dollars to support Cape Girardeau Area Magnet, the cooperative economic development agency supported by Jackson and Cape Girardeau County as well. And the city has used most of the tools state law allows to bring jobs, setting aside sales tax revenue to help bring Kohl's and the Sears Grand store as well as creating a Community Improvement District to support rehabilitation of Town Plaza.

But lower taxes, not setting aside tax money for incentives, is White's recipe for job creation. "First thing, lower the taxes around here," he said. "That will give people an incentive to come to Cape."

Cape Girardeau relies mainly on sales taxes to fund city government. The sales tax rate is 7.975 percent, higher than Jackson, Perryville or Scott City and equal to that in Sikeston. In the past two years, as revenue lagged, Cape Girardeau has been unable to provide raises to most city workers.

White is making his third bid for mayor and his fifth attempt overall to win a public office. He has never won a primary, and he must place first or second against Harry Rediger, a retired businessman with extensive community service, and Matt Hopkins, a former city councilman, for a ballot spot in the April 6 general election.

The two other races -- one for commissioner and one for Cape Girardeau School Board -- were intended to make him better known in preparation for this year's contest, White said.

"I ran for school board to keep my name out there," White explains. "I don't have to put all those signs up and go on radio and TV."

White, 52, is a native of Hayti, Mo. He purchased the former Ratliff's Grocery in 1998 and, after it was closed for a period, reopened it as Ole Country Store. The small store has the feel of a grocery that might be found in any small town.

White also owns 16 other properties, mostly single-family homes in older areas of the city. He said he's grateful for the opportunities he has found since moving to Cape Girardeau.

"If a person ain't lazy, they can make it in Cape," White said.

The city needs someone to come in and shake things up, White said. "I believe God spoke to me and said the people need some help."

One way to help, White said, would be to examine projects carefully and reject spending that burdens residents with higher costs. The city's wastewater treatment plant must be replaced or upgraded sometime in coming years, he said.

White said some estimates have put the price tag at $50 million, which he predicted would result in a doubling or tripling of the monthly sewer charges. If any work is needed, White said, it should be upgrades, not replacement, of the existing sewage plant.

On another issue, White said the city should not implement an inspection program to make sure landlords are complying with city housing codes. The city is considering a fee-based program.

"It is a money thing," White said. "If they start putting pressure on me, I will leave town. I'll go back down to Hayti, and if I made the investment I made here they would throw me a parade. In Cape Girardeau, if there is a person who doesn't like you from the city, they will run you out of town."

When he turns to problems on the south side, White talks about speeding cars on Highway 74, a neglected pedestrian overpass and the admission charges that will be imposed to use new park facilities under construction.

The 45 mph speed limit on Highway 74 needs to be reduced, at least in the area near Sprigg Street and the Southeast Missouri State University River Campus, he said. He would prefer 25 mph, but said speed enforcement would have a big effect.

"If the south side was a rich side of town, they wouldn't be speeding through," White said.

The pedestrian overpass, just west of Sprigg Street over Highway 74, is becoming an eyesore, he said. It needs a coat of paint to cover the rust, he said.

Cape Girardeau is in the midst of a voter-approved parks construction program. There will be new athletic fields and a community center at the Shawnee Sports Complex south of Highway 74, as well as an expanded Osage Community Centre and Family Aquatic Center on North Kingshighway.

White worries that youths from the south side of the city will have difficulty using the new facilities because of cost. Admission to the aquatic center will cost $5 for senior citizens and children younger than 12; others will pay $6. Season passes will cost $125 for individuals and $200 for families.

"We can't stop it, but we don't need it," White said. "A lot of poor kids can't afford $6. It is for the rich kids. A lot of kids on the south side need hope."

Asked why he is seeking the most visible job in Cape Girardeau rather than seeking a city council seat, White said he wants to have a big impact. The best way to do that is as mayor, he said.

"All I am asking for is a chance," White said. "Win or lose, that is all I am asking for."

rkeller@semissourian.com

388-3642

1007 S. Sprigg St., Cape Girardeau, MO

401 Independence St., Cape Girardeau, MO